<b>To Convince, to Provoke or to Entertain? A Study on Individual Motivations behind Engaging with Conspiracy Theories Online</b>

Morosoli, Sophie; Aelst, Peter Van; Erkel, Patrick van

doi:10.1177/13548565221105792

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 74 publications

(109 reference statements)

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“…A potential set of 18 items that could be used in this way is described in Online Appendix 13 alongside psychometric information. Finally, individual differences, for example, in sharing motives, can be associated with the perceived accuracy of information encountered online and intentions to share it (Ahmed & Tan, 2022; Morosoli, Van Aelst, & Van Erkel, 2022; Rathje et al, 2023). The examination of such associations is a direction for future research.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why Do People Share Political Information and Misinformation Online? Developing a Bottom-Up Descriptive Framework

Perach,

Joyner,

Husbands

et al. 2023

Social Media + Society

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Social media users are key actors in the spreading of misleading or incorrect information. To develop an integrative parsimonious summary of social media users’ own accounts of motives for sharing political information, we conducted: (1) a literature review of motives for personally sharing false information as reported by social media users and (2) qualitative research concerning these motives using an innovative, ecologically valid method. Based on our findings, we developed a pool of items evaluating social media users’ motives for sharing false political information, which we then tested and analyzed the dimensionality of in (3) a pre-registered questionnaire-based study to identify key clusters of users’ own accounts of motives for sharing both true and false political information. The current findings show that there are distinct sets of motives people report for their misinformation sharing behavior: prosocial activism, attack or manipulation of others, entertainment, awareness, political self-expression, and fighting false information. Also, these sets of motives are associated with variables known to predict sharing misinformation, and some of these sets predict social media users’ self-reports of having shared misinformation in the past. Our findings highlight and elaborate on users’ motives that reflect a concern with “making things better” and acting in a manner that is beneficial to society as a whole, and suggest that different interventions may be required to combat misinformation sharing driven by different motives. A potential set of 18 items that could be used in questionnaires measuring motivations for sharing political news online is described.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why Do People Share Political Information and Misinformation Online? Developing a Bottom-Up Descriptive Framework

Perach,

Joyner,

Husbands

et al. 2023

Social Media + Society

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“…We do not want to deny that such duplicity aptly describes some conspiracists. But research shows most conspiracists genuinely believe the things they claim to believe (Morosoli et al, 2022). Moreover, an ambiguous attitude in their reports is not evidence of deceptiveness.…”

Section: Objectionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insight in the Conspiracist’s Mind

Van de Cruys,

Bervoets,

Gadsby

et al. 2023

Pers Soc Psychol Rev

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Academic Abstract The motto of the conspiracist, “Do your own research,” may seem ludicrous to scientists. Indeed, it is often dismissed as a mere rhetorical device that conspiracists use to give themselves the semblance of science. In this perspective paper, we explore the information-seeking activities (“research”) that conspiracists do engage in. Drawing on the experimental psychology of aha experiences, we explain how these activities, as well as the epistemic experiences that precede (curiosity) or follow (insight or “aha” experiences) them, may play a crucial role in the appeal and development of conspiracy beliefs. Aha moments have properties that can be exploited by conspiracy theories, such as the potential for false but seemingly grounded conclusions. Finally, we hypothesize that the need for autonomous epistemic agency and discovery is universal but increases as people experience more uncertainty and/or feel epistemically excluded in society, hence linking it to existing literature on explaining conspiracy theories. Public Abstract Recent events have made it painfully clear that conspiracy beliefs can tear deep rifts in society and that we still have not found an adequate, de-escalating response to this. To understand the appeal of conspiracy theories and find new, humanizing ways to talk about them, we propose in this perspective paper to start from the universal human need to autonomously make discoveries through personal knowledge-generating actions. Indeed, psychological research shows that the aha experiences that accompany subjective discoveries create confidence in and perceived ownership of ideas that may be exploited by conspiracy theories. We hypothesize that people experiencing more uncertainty and/or epistemic exclusion in society will especially feel the need to re-establish autonomous epistemic agency and discovery. While this explanation starts from shared human experiences and practices, it also illustrates the potential of those processes to lead to a narrowed world and ossified cognition.

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“…Their results from a representative population survey show a robust correlation between individuals’ affinity towards conspiracy theories and the usage of Facebook Messenger and Telegram. Also focusing on explaining individuals’ engagement with conspiracy theories online, Morosoli and colleagues’ (2022) paper ‘To Convince, to Provoke or to Entertain? A Study on Individual Motivations behind Engaging with Conspiracy Theories Online’ integrates a cross-national perspective.…”

Section: Outline Of Articlesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conspiracy theories in digital environments: Moving the research field forward

Zeng

Schäfer

Oliveira

2022

Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Med

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In the past few years, the discussion of conspiracy theories has embroiled researchers, politicians and the public alike. During the COVID-19 pandemic in particular, the term ‘conspiracy theory’ became a buzzword in the news media, public communication and everyday discussions. The pandemic also demonstrated that conspiratorial narratives disseminated online are not benign, obscure and eventually harmless ideas, but can mislead policy making, hinder crisis relief and public health efforts, or undermine trust in institutions and science. Factors contributing to the prevalence of conspiracy theories are complex and include psychological as well as socio-political factors. This special issue focuses specifically on the role of digital media and how they shape the dissemination and mitigation of, as well as research on, conspiracy theories. The special issue includes 13 research articles by authors from 11 countries and regions, which provide timely insights into the phenomenon of conspiracy theories with cross-cultural and cross-platform advances.

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To Convince, to Provoke or to Entertain? A Study on Individual Motivations behind Engaging with Conspiracy Theories Online

Cited by 5 publications

References 74 publications

Why Do People Share Political Information and Misinformation Online? Developing a Bottom-Up Descriptive Framework

Why Do People Share Political Information and Misinformation Online? Developing a Bottom-Up Descriptive Framework

Insight in the Conspiracist’s Mind

Conspiracy theories in digital environments: Moving the research field forward

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